This invention relates to a lifting wheelchair, and particularly to a wheelchair having an elevatable seat providing ready access to elevated locations such as cupboards, refrigerator/freezer, storage closets, upper windows, and elevated work places, even several feet above the floor, and to do so with stability and controlled orientation of the seat.
A common difficulty experienced by persons using wheelchairs, including motorized wheelchairs, is the inability to reach elevated items or work places, and to remain at such elevated positions as long or short a time as necessary.
There have been some suggested concepts for elevating the seat of a wheelchair, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,613,151; 5,435,404; 4,614,246; 5,255,934; 5,209,332; 5,112,076; 5,090,513; 5,046,571; 4,351,562; 3,882,949; and GB 2275029. One common disadvantage has been the inability of the elevated person to be close enough to the target item to get full access, even if the chair is elevated high enough. Another common difficulty is the limited elevation which is possible with known systems.